Clothing comprising a fabric intended for skin contact

ABSTRACT

Clothing comprising a fabric intended for skin contact, which fabric comprises at least 20 wt. % of filaments produced from a polymer composition having an elastic modulus of 30-500 MPa (ISO 527, 1BA, 1 mm/min, 23° C.).

The invention relates to sports clothing, protective clothing, clothing for body shaping and clothing with a medical function comprising a fabric intended for skin contact.

Such clothing serve for example to provide comfort, to give support to the body, to give compression to body parts. Examples of such clothing include sports underclothing, sports clothing, shape wear or even special supporting wear prescribed for medical reasons, for example supporting stockings.

If the clothing may comprise more than one layer of fabric. The fabric intended for skin contact is a fabric located at the inside of the clothing, so that during wearing it is touching the skin of the wearer.

A problem with the clothing comprising the fabric intended for skin contact is that it feels warm or even sweaty. This is highly unpleasant for the wearer. This is especially true If the person wearing the clothing made a physical effort, for example in case of sports clothing, or in case of clothing with a medical function, which normally first tight to the body and has to be worn for long periods at a time.

Object of the present invention is to provide sports clothing, protective clothing, clothing for body shaping and clothing with a medical function not showing this problem. Surprisingly this object is obtained if in the clothing comprises a fabric intended for skin contact, which fabric comprises at least 20 wt. % of filaments produced from a polymer composition having an elastic modulus of 30-500 MPa (ISO 527, 1BA, 1 mm/min, 23° C.

Preferably the fabric comprises at least 40, more preferably at least 60, more preferably at least 80 even more preferably at least 98 wt. % of the filaments produced from a polymer composition having a modulus of elasticity of 30-500 MPa (ISO 527, 1BA, 1 mm/min, 23° C.

Such fabric feels cool to the skin, so that the clothing has a highly improved comfort.

Preferably the polymer composition has a modulus of elasticity of at least 60, more preferably at least 90, even more preferably at least 120 Mpa. Preferably the polymer composition has a modulus of elasticity of at most 450, more preferably at most 400, even more preferably at most 350 GPa.

Examples of polymers that are suitable to be used in the polymer composition include thermoplastic polyester elastomers, thermoplastic polyamide elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethanes. The cooling effect is especially pronounced for thermoplastic polyester elastomers.

The size of the filaments is preferably between 0.5 and 20 dtex, more preferably between 1 and 10 dtex. In this way a fabric is obtained that does not only feel cool to the wearer, but also has a pleasant soft feeling, and also is able to resist wear. 

1. Clothing comprising a fabric intended for skin contact, characterized in that the fabric comprises at least 20 wt. % of filaments produced from a polymer composition having an elastic modulus of 30-500 MPa (ISO 527, 1BA, 1 mm/min, 23° C.). 